Articles in News
Gorilla Genome Yields Surprises Researchers have completed a draft sequence of the gorilla genome. Their analysis reveals that people may be more closely related to gorillas than we realized. Kamilah. Image courtesy of the San Diego Zoo. Comparing the human genome sequence with those of other organisms helps us understand how we evolved and what [...]
Nanocomplexes Label Cells for MRI Tracking Nanocomplexes can be used to label transplanted cells so they can be tracked by MRI, according to a new study. In the future, the technique might be used to monitor whether transplanted immune or stem cells reach their targets. Cell-based therapies have become a major focus in regenerative medicine [...]
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Organ Transplants Without Life-Long Drugs A new method allowed kidney transplant recipients to eventually stop taking harsh immune-suppressing medications, even though they’d received mismatched organs. These preliminary findings may one day reduce the need for anti-rejection drugs and lead to more options for patients awaiting organ transplants. Organ transplants are life-saving, but finding well-matched donor [...]
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Video of killer T cell of the immune system battling a cancer cell … … This brief video from Cambridge University’s Under the Microscope series shows a killer T cell, which measure 10 microns in length, identifying and attacking a cancer cell. The microscopic footage was captured by Alex Ritter, a PhD student in the lab of Gillian Griffiths, PhD. Griffiths [...]
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Study suggests yoga may help caregivers of dementia patients manage stress Using yoga to engage in brief, simple daily meditation could lead to improved cognitive functioning and lower levels of depression for caregivers of patients with dementia, according to findings published this week in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. In the study (subscription required), UC Los Angeles [...]
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How pediatrics could help adult medicine improve quality of care for patients There’s a thought-provoking perspective today on the Well blog about how adopting certain pediatric practices could improve the quality of care for adult patients. In the piece, Perri Klass, MD, examines the different approaches to treating adults and children and concludes that when it comes to [...]
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Early Epigenetic Effects in Alzheimer’s Disease Repression of certain gene activity in the brain appears to be an early event affecting people with Alzheimer’s disease, a new study found. In mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease, this blockade and its effects on memory were treatable. HDAC2 levels (red) are higher in cells from the hippocampus [...]
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Diesel Exhaust and Lung Cancer Deaths in Miners In a study of miners, scientists found that heavy exposure to diesel exhaust increased the risk of death from lung cancer. The risk may also extend to other workers exposed to diesel exhaust, as well as people living in urban areas with higher diesel exhaust levels. [...]
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Examining how friends and family can influence our weight loss As we’ve previously written about on Scope, research at Stanford has shown that patients who have undergone Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery can have a positive effect on family members’ weight loss. A segment today on NPR’s Morning Edition examines how social influences can fuel weight loss. On the show, John Morton, MD, [...]
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New York City health campaign nudges public to “burn calories, not electricity” On a recent tromp through the airport, I did something I haven’t done in a while: deliberately took the stairs instead of the escalator. For a while, I regularly eschewed moving walkways, elevators and escalators to increase my level of daily activity. But [...]
